Russell Seitz: Life on Mars looks more likely than ever. Green monsters less so.

Physicist Russell Seitz waxes poetical on OpinionJournal.com about recent scientific discoveries regarding Mars, and how what we know now calls for some new thinking. Along the way he detours for comments on sci-fi and popular perceptions of the planet, and ends up asking for the masses to rise up and demand better cameras on Mars-destined instruments.

File this under Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter, Flash Gordon, Percival Lowell, NASA, Viking Lander, Mars, Science and Exploration, shergottites (relax, it's a type of meteorite).

UPDATE: Saturday, March 12, 2005: The Mars Society President weighs in on the selection of Dr. Mike Griffin for NASA administrator.